Monster I’d Like to Fight: Carnivorous Grassling

Carnivorous Grassling: A monstrous creature made of grass, vines, leaves, and moss.

The carnivorous grassling is most commonly found in the fey realm and appears as a patch of grass with native plants and weeds growing on it. They excel at blending in with the environment around them, matching the nearby flora and can be easily mistaken for normal vegetation. Due to its slow movement, a grassling relies on its long vines to pull nearby creatures into its toothy maw.

Beautiful flowers and small fruiting plants can be found on the exceptionally fertile backs of a grassling and are used to attract small animals and birds that can make for a quick meal. A grassling can sometimes be found along a river or pond’s edge in hopes of finding a creature looking for a drink of water or a fish traveling up stream.

Propagation. A grassling can live up to 400 years in the right environment. When it approaches its end of life, the blades of grass extend up to 10 feet high and develop clusters of lightweight seeds that disperse with the wind.

Carnivorous Grassling: A monstrous creature made of grass, vines, leaves, and moss in hiding near the water's edge.

Lay in Wait. Grasslings are patient creatures that often spend weeks or months in a single location, waiting for prey to come within vine’s reach. They prefer creatures that are Medium or smaller, sometimes ignoring larger prey for something more manageable.

Grass Shots. As part of a long rest, if you have proficiency with alchemist’s supplies or herbalism kit, you can use your tools, carnivorous grassling remains and 50 gp in additional materials to create a revitalizing grass shot. As an action, you can consume the shot to ignore one level of exhaustion for up to an hour.

Vine Rope. As part of a long rest, if you have proficiency with weaver’s tools, you can use your tools, carnivorous grassling remains and 10 gp in additional materials to create a vine rope. A creature tied up and bound by a vine rope has disadvantage on checks made to escape the binding.

Carnivorous Grassling: A monstrous creature made of grass, vines, leaves, and moss in a arid environment.

Carnivorous Grassling

Large Plant, Unaligned


Armor Class 12

Hit Points 37 (5d10 + 10)

Speed 10 ft., climb 10 ft.

STRDEXCONINTWISCHA
16 (+3)14 (+2)14 (+2)2 (-4)12 (+1)3 (-4)

Skills Perception +3, Stealth +4

Condition Immunities deafened, exhaustion, prone

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13

Languages

Challenge 1 (200 XP)

Proficiency Bonus +2


False Appearance. While the grassling remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from a patch of grass.

Lurker. The grassling has advantage on initiative while hidden.

Actions


Multiattack. The grassling makes one Bite attack and one Grasping Vine attack.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage. The target takes an additional 7 (2d6) piercing damage if it hasn’t taken a turn yet.

Grasping Vine. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) bludgeoning damage and if the target is Huge or smaller, the target is grappled (escape DC 12) and pulled up to 15 feet toward the grassling. Until the grapple ends, the grassling can’t use grasping vine against another target.

Further Reading

Keep an eye out in our next Dungeon23 level for this guy!

Looking for another plant? Check out the pumpkindred!

Imagery created with Midjourney.

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